I’m officially convinced that I’m not getting into college. Since the summer started, I’ve been planning my entire junior and senior year because I haven’t done much volunteering or clubs (I’m not really a sport person) during the past two years. The only thing that I’ve really been dedicated to is piano. But, now that I’ve look through all the threads on college confidential, I’ve practically given up on this college thing all together. I have a 3.4 gpa. I’m gonna be taking all APs and Honors classes next year, but I’ll probably be too stressed to do well in any of those and raise my gpa. I really wanted to get into NYU or Fordham. But, my lack of dedication means I’m completely screwed in the extracurricular department. Even with high test scores and a decent GPA, my extracurriculars aren’t going to make me look better that anyone else. So, I don’t even know why I’m going to try. I wanted to volunteer, get a part time job, start running for leadership positions, and join my team’s pep squad. But, I honestly don’t feel good enough because I’m know I’m not gonna get into the schools that I want to.
Just because you might not get into your dream schools doesn’t mean you have to give up on college altogether. Are you crazy? Plenty of people don’t go to their number one school. In fact, the majority of students don’t attend prestigious schools and there’s nothing wrong with that. A 3.4 will get you into plenty of colleges. I’ll be blunt–you need to get over yourself and not wallow in self-pity and think “poor me, I’m not going to get into NYU.” You apply, and if you don’t get in, then you attend somewhere else. You don’t think you have 0 chance at a couple of schools and think your chances for college are ruined.
You can attend a community college and transfer the next year to NYU! It shouldn’t be hard if you focus and maintain a good gpa
90% of College Confidential is abnormally smart people, so you dont need to be discouraged by what you see on this website. A 3.4 GPA isn’t as bad as you think it is. That’s an average GPA, and average people do get into college 
You might not get into NYU, but there are plenty of other good schools you could go to.
As for extra curriculars, that’s on you. Join a club or two, look around and find somewhere to volunteer at, and you’re good. You don’t need a hundred things like people on CC do.
Look for colleges that fit your resume that you like. Have a balanced list with safeties, targets, and reaches (like NYU). Theres always a chance anywhere if you can have good essays that really express yourself.
Maybe you should take a gap year and work so you can get some motivation. Then any college might look pretty good. You sound like you need to grow up a bit-- are you male, males are often a bit immature and gap year can be really beneficial to focus what really matters. Also if you have an anxiety problem you can work on that. Otherwise, focus on schools for 3.5ish gpa and what your test scores are, there are plenty of good ones, and focus on your academics. Do one or two outside things. Doing a flurry at the last minute won’t help much and distracts from what you should be doing.
@CE527M @BrownParent No, I’m not a male and I definitely don’t mean to come off as immature. I’m just discouraged by the overly achieved users on CC. This website is where I’ve been doing most of my college research and is helping me plan for my senior year admissions. It’s just overwhelming being average in a group of really impressive applicants. I just feel like no matter how hard I try at this point, I can’t be impressive at all. I’ll always just be average and I know that it’s my fault for my lack of involvement, but I just don’t know how much anything I try to do now will make a difference.
I can be really dramatic sometime, so forgive me for the title and rant at the top of the page.
Rant is better received in the HS life forum perhaps. Meanwhile get excited about more varied colleges. There are threads here for schools for “B” students where you would be a strong candidate You can always put an app in to those two schools as reaches.
This is a long thread, but there are some great details in there. It isn’t just for Jewish students, but these parents compiled it looking for colleges with access to Hillel house etc.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/931514-colleges-for-the-jewish-b-student.html
Hey OP–don’t worry too much! I looked at one of your other threads, and I think you’ll have a solid application, especially as a writer (nailing essays can give you an edge at competitive schools). A 3.4 is NOT a bad GPA! And you don’t know what the next two years will bring–I saw you want to bring it up to a 3.5, and I don’t see why you couldn’t. Focus on your studies, and don’t stress out too much about ECs. Looking at what you’re thinking of doing, I wouldn’t stretch yourself too thin, especially if you a) aim to bring up your grades and b) you’ll be waitressing in grade 11 & 12. It’s not easy to balance a PT job as a high school student AND get good grades AND do ECs. If you need the spending money from the job, prioritize that over resume filler via after school clubs. It seems like you’re into volunteerism, which is good–I would do the Key Club for sure–and doing an additional volunteering thing, particularly if you’re passionate about it, is a good idea, too. I’m partial towards the animal shelter–I did volunteering at one and it was awesome. I would join any writing clubs your school has too, but nurturing that talent outside of school also counts.
Are there any local programs for writing you could do something with? Writing contests you can enter? What kind of writing do you do? Writing is an EC, even if it’s a difficult one to show on an application. Look into the Scholastic Key awards, and also if there are any local programs, like a summer writing camp or intensive that you could attend. (where do you live? Maybe we can help you identify options)
The important thing is not to over-focus on dream schools, like NYU. I saw you are looking for scholarships, so honestly it’s best to let go of the NYU dreams now, because they’re very stingy. But you’ll be a solid applicant for a lot of schools, don’t worry. Especially if you plan on applying to do a writing-related major, you may qualify for special grants and merit scholarships. You’re a URM, as well, which will work in your favor at many schools, including the elites. Focus on getting a good SAT score–take it as soon as you can (if you start studying now, you can take it in the fall. Once you have your scores and you see your grade trend as a junior, CC can help you put together a realistic list and help allay some of your anxiety.
Deep breaths! You’ll be OK!
CC is a great resource to learn the basics of applying to college and getting any questions answered, but you just have to learn to not worry about everyone with their impressive resumes. I’d be willing to bet some people exaggerate their stats, and at any rate, this is a very small percentage of those applying to college–less than 1%, probably. It can definitely be overwhelming seeing everyone on here who’s seemingly perfect, but you just have to remember that this is not representative of the entire nation.
Start from the ground up. Build a list of safeties that you really like and go from there. You might end up liking a safety school more than your reaches, you never know.
The only way you’ll never get to college is if you never apply. Admissions officers will see how hard you’ve worked these past two years! Don’t burden yourself too much, especially with your job, many ECs, and rigorous course. There is a difference between giving your all and burning out.
Take my sister and father. She took 6 APs, no sports, only academic clubs, and she got into UGA-a top 100.
My dad went to Post University (not even ranked!), transferred to New Haven, worked thru school, and now he’s making $100k a year (thank God).
You can always transfer, of course, and once you leave college it really doesn’t matter where you’ve gone. Things like caring about what you, having strong communication skills, and being competent - you seem like all of those things.
Don’t be disheartened. It’ll all work out, I swear. >:D<
OP, I got into plenty of colleges with a 3.2 W GPA (I think my unweighted was closer to a 3.0). There are plenty of great colleges out there that welcome less than perfect students. Many of them are in exciting urban areas or just outside of them.
Don’t give up. Be positive and try your absolute best. My daughter went into senior year with a 3.4 and she was admitted to NYU. Fordham, Pace, Penn State, Boston University. and Syracuse. She was denied at Northeastern and wait-listed at George Washington.
Get a ton of help with your common app essay and your college specific essays. Work closely with an English teacher to ensure your story is clear. Also, be very specific in your NYU essay. Know which school you are interested in and give details as to why you want to go there.
She also applied to many scholarships. She got denied for most of them, but she did get the Burger King scholarship and the Horatio Alger scholarship. Her school saw how hard she worked and also gave her a scholarship.
btw… she will be attending NYU this fall with substantial financial aid even though everyone says they are stingy. .
Don’t give up OP. Try your best, you never know what colleges are looking for.
I believe that CC was originated as a site that students and parents could ask questions and share experiences about getting into the most selective universities. Much of the information is useful to nearly any student. Two downsides to the site are that many students are who are fine students can feel they are somehow inferior to students as a whole and that because they don’t have the stats to attend a very select group of colleges they are somehow destined for mediocrity. If you change the way you look at college and see at as a tool for achieving the things you plan for in the future then I think you can look with more clarity at your potential college choices. You can also enjoy the process rather than feel you’re a failure because you didn’t get into a university you won’t be able to afford. Good luck.
This place can give you a serious case of the crazies if you let it.
You have a 3.4 gpa and are taking AP and honors classes. There are plenty of schools that would love to get your application.
If you do well during your junior and senior year, with a lot of AP classes, your weighted GPA will probably be over 4.0. My son had an unweighted GPA of 3.3-3.4, but his IB curriculum, plus additional AP classes, was heavily weighted. He did have some very strong leadership extracurriculars, and his test scores were very solid (albeit not astronomical). Put your fingers in your ears and say “LALALALALA!” if anyone even suggests that you belong at a community college instead of a four-year one. My son got into UC San Diego, Tulane, Pitzer, Occidental, et al with a comparable GPA and received some very generous merit awards. Nobody can assess your prospects without test scores and junior grades. You probably will not be competitive at the small handful of ultra-selective colleges, but you might well have a shot at NYU and Fordham. There are thousands of four-year colleges in the US, and the overwhelming majority of them will be happy to admit you.
A 3.4 and decent test scores will get you into MANY solid schools. Do your best and don’t overburden yourself this year. Take courses you are confident you can do well in. 2 APs this year is probably plenty.
Good luck.
Don’t give up. NYU is my dream school as well and I’m sure I’m unqualified compared to other students, but so what? Maybe I should’ve been involved more. Maybe I should’ve joined an orchestra or something(I’m a pianist as well). Maybe I should’ve done blah blah blah. The point is work with what you have. You want NYU right? Don’t worry about anyone else’s chances or even your own. Do the things you love. Colleges are aware that not everyone will have 15 EC’s, 30 awards, travel, and speak 4 languages (excuse my exaggerations). Don’t give up on college. There are hundreds are colleges out there. To get started look at safety colleges. Find colleges that have good music schools. Furman University in SC has one. Ohio State has a good music program. You’re a rising junior, am I correct? You still have time. Enter piano competitions. Do music camps. Join music programs at your school, and if they’re not offered, join a club or start your own. You need a serious confidence boost. You can’t get into anywhere if you don’t try anything. Honors classes and AP classes raise your gpa even if you get a C. Try your best. Don’t sit here and wallow. You still have some years in high school left. MAKE THE MOST OF THEM. Play piano at a church(I do this and I’m not religious). Take the ACT and SAT to see which one you do better on. Set up daily goals for yourself no matter how silly they seem (for ex: look up 2 different colleges today, volunteer for an hour, practice piano for an hour, watch a movie) that will help with your confidence. AP classes and honors classes are only as hard as you make them. Need help? Ask your teacher, ask your friends, get a tutor. Don’t focus so much on the content on threads on here. They represent maybe less than 40% of all applicants. I knew a guy who applied to NYU for this school year with being a national merit scholar, URM, good grades, and less than average EC’s, no sports, and you know what? He got in. His essays were phenomenal. His recommendations were outstanding and his test scores were good. IT’s also good to know that his 9th grade year and half of his sophmore year weren’t so good. So yes it’s possible. Look at in-state schools, look at regional schools. Music is your thing, why not make a career out of it?
@ncalrent I’m taking three and the rest are honors. Plus, at school when you have two+ APs, they give you a kinda study hall class.